I first saw this mod on the
GL1800 Riders Tech board and thought it would be a nice addition to
the GL1800. I personally consider it a vital safety feature.
The grunt work was done by Fred H.

DELAY YOUR CANCEL SIGNAL:Being on a bike, I like to turn on my signals early
so cagers have plenty of time to react. This poses a bit of a
problem on the GL1800
because it has has auto-cancel. Often, especially when I'm
turning into my driveway, the blinker is no longer blinking by the time
I'm sitting and waiting on opposing traffic to allow me to make that
left turn. The solution was to hit the blinker switch twice - this
has two flaws: #1 I have to remember to do it (not so easy these
days) and #2, if I'm working the brake and the clutch, it's a bit of a
stretch to reach the blinker switch, too. Back in '06 - Fred H. (Angel
Ride Videos) posted a neat solution on the
GL1800 Riders Tech board. He determined that the cancel unit
gets a ground pulse which starts the countdown counter. If one can
pulse the cancel unit using a normal activity while riding, the counter
will get reset to zero as if one had pumped the switch again. He devised
a method to pulse the cancel unit with the brake light meaning that when
your brake is on (a normal part of preparing for a turn) your signal
countdown counter would never advance hence no timed signal cancel.
The circuit shown is a modification of Fred's circuit with the change
being the wire with which we cause the relay to pulse ground. Fred
used GREEN/RED which can only be accessed from the relay under the seat
making for a cumbersome run of a long wire under the shelter. I chose to
use the GREEN/YELLOW from the handlebar brake lever switch (it gets
"hot" from the brake pedal as well) to trigger the relay because it's
located in the same harness assembly as the other wires involved.
One can accomplish the whole feat in a single compact package under the
right front pocket (at least in models prior to '06). The circuit is shown at left drawn by Fred and
modified by yours truly. Click for a bigger version.

This first method works on bikes if one does not use
a relay that has any delay in switching off. I have no problems
using a single reed relay and others have reported that there is no
problem using a normal auto relay such as the one discussed on my
Basic Relay Page.

FIGURE ONE
FIGURE TWO
FIGURE THREE
FIGURE FOUR

THE METHOD:For this
application, we will use the "probe" method for splicing into
the system wires
we will use. The reason? These wires go to three different
connectors and we may need to separate them at a later date. One
can solder a joint, but if you do, it would be wise to add four bullet
connectors to your installation for easy disconnect later.

For our probes, we
will use the EZ-Splice method detailed below >CLICK<,
but we will use the actual diodes for two of our "probes" and will use
the clipped off portion of the diode wire soldered to the necessary wire
for the other two. The probe section needs to be about 5/8" long
as illustrated. Prepare your circuit package as shown in FIGURE TWO
taking care to orient the diodes properly and using the proper terminals
on the reed relay. Cover the relay part with large heat shrink and apply
heat. Pinch the "open" end with needle nose pliers to seal while
still hot. Zip tie where the wires exit.

All of the
necessary system wires and connectors are accessible under the right
pocket above the radiator (in models prior to '06) so you will need to remove the pocket (see
shop manual). One needs merely to unscrew the tabbed screws shown
in FIGURE FOUR
and pull the entire wiring assembly into the opening of the pocket
as shown in FIGURE THREE.

Apply a generous
amount of bulb grease to your probes and insert them into the proper
connectors as illustrated in FIGURE THREE.
Zip tie them securely to the wire into which they are inserted. To
test, you can run your bike on the center stand in gear to see if it all
works. Take the PROPER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHEN DOING THIS! But,
since we only remove the pocket and not the shelter, we can test ride it
easily (recommended).If it all works, you
know what to do next!

NOTE: on the '09 for
sure and possibly any model after '06, the PINK
wire is NOT ACCESSIBLE
under the pocket. It is only accessible from the left handlebar to
the green connector at the steering stem. It will be necessary to
run a line to the right pocket from there. The other wires
(GREEN/YELLOW, BLUE/BLACK/ AND GRAY) are under the pocket in the large
connectors.

I have used the
simplest mod described above on my '02 and on my '06 with good results.
If you have the brake on before you set the signal to on, the wiper on
the fork will not cancel, but the button will and once the brake is
released, the timeout as per speed will as well.

DO THIS MORE COMPLEX MOD ONLY IF..
you are having a problem with your signals not canceling after a turn.... (this
should only be a problem if you pulled the brake on before the signals or left
the brake on after the turn) you can use this modified drawing using two relays
which will only restart the countdown if both the brake and the signals are on.

I first saw this mod on the
GL1800 Riders Tech board and thought it would be a nice addition to
the GL1800. It was posted by dusty74. This mod is recommended
unless you have something else that works with your signal cancel button
(like a garage door opener). But, in all honesty, it should work
just fine with the garage door hickey too as long as you're not under
the door!. Anyway, all we do is
use the signal cancel to "push" the DISP meter panel button.
It's lots easier to just thumb press the signal cancel because you don't
have to take your hand off the bars. Besides, my GPS is in the way, too.
If you press once, the display will show the ambient temperature.
If, while the temperature is displayed you press it again, you will be
greeted with what your rear shock setting is (0-25). The
usefulness of the temp display is just candy, but the display of the
shock setting with a left thumb press is really cool too!

TEMPERATURE AND SHOCK SETTING DISPLAY MADE EASY:This is really simple. Take off your meter panel. In the harness
coming down under your left handlebar from the switches, bust out the
LIGHT GREEN/WHITE wire. Solder a lead to the LIGHT GREEN/WHITE about eight
inches long. Tape up really well leaving the lead coming out as
shown. Put a female quick connect on the end of it. Next,
remove the meter button plug from the ignition tower and locate the
BLUE/YELLOW wire there. Solder a lead onto that BLUE/YELLOW wire about 4" long, or
instead of solder you can use the EZ-Splice method described in this picture >CLICK<.
Put a male connector onto the end of that lead. Connect your wires
to one another with the connects and turn on the bike. Press the
signal cancel button with your thumb. You should see your display show
the temp. While the temp is showing, press again to change it to
the shock setting screen. If that all works, you're almost done.
Make sure you route your new little wire so that there is enough play in
it that it won't bind when you turn the bars side to side. Route
it so it's not stretched and does not interfere with anything else.
Meter panel back on and ride! How warm is it today?

The cost of a replacement assembly is over
$200 dollars plus the installation costs in either time or money, which I am
un-willing to pay for just a 10 cent spring. I did take the whole switch
assembly apart to see what the spring looked like...it's a little smaller than a
ball point pen spring in both length and diameter.

Tools and parts used:

#2 Phillips screwdriver (ALL SCREWS NO MATTER
HOW SMALL THEY LOOK!)

Small needle nose pliers (for obvious
reasons)

Small pair of wire cutters

White silicone grease (for obvious reasons)

One Bic Clic ball point pen (for the new
spring)

Drill bit slighly larger than the new spring,
not too large! (I used a 0.182 in wire guage drill bit)

Procedure:

**Important** **CAUTION**
Do this repair procedure at your own risk and peril. The author assumes no
liability for the use of this fix by anyone else. This procedure just documents
the steps I used to correct the problem I had with my bike. (I think I've worked
around lawyers a bit too long).

Read the following section all the way through before you start:

Remove the grip (to allow the housing to
clear it)

Take the housing apart

Carefully gain access to the lower half
(there are very small wires used in the housing, caution must be
used to ensure nothing get broken)

Remove the screws that hold the plate with
the switch knob arm

Now remove the single screw that actually
holds the turn signal switch in place.

Carefully remove the switch. There are two
little metal balls, do not lose them.

Remove the broken spring and discard

Remove the new spring from the pen

**IMPORTANT** READ and UNDERSTAND NEXT STEPS
BEFORE EXECUTING IT!! Using a drill bit slightly larger than the new
spring,

Only using finger strength bit in hand, open
up the whole in the white nylon where the original spring went. This
only removes a very little nylon to do this. Don't go in too
far, or the detent ball (larger of the two balls) will never stay in
place. Go in just enough to allow the new spring to slide in. DO NOT
USE DRILL, JUST THE BIT!
Clean away any nylon debris

Dry fit the spring, it should just slide in
with minimal effort

The spring is too long as is, so cut about a
quarter of the length off using the wire cutters

Place a little silicone grease on the end of
the spring and place the larger ball on the end with the compressed
coils

Carefully slide the ball and spring into the
newly widened hole.

Carefully re-install the little ball between
the copper contact and the top of the white nylon

Carefully slide the copper contact behind the
spring and reinstall the switch assembly in the base

Reinstall the screw that holds the copper
contact and back of switch in place.

Using the pliers, gently ease the copper
contact that holds the little ball in place up very slightly. This
allows the new larger spring to pass underneath freely when the arm
is pushed in to cancel and the spring is pushing the arm back out.

Apply fresh silicone grease to all of the
moving parts (it's obvious)

Re-assemble the rest of the components of the
switch

Turn the bike on and check switch
functionality (all switches)

Reinstall housing onto the handle bar

Reinstall the grip and grip end

Anyway, I accomplished this on my 2001
Goldwing a few nights ago. It took me about an hour once I saw what the original
spring mechanism looked like. The fix is working just fine for me. Much better
than paying hundreds of dollars for a whole new switch assembly.

Plus if it ever fails again, all I'll need is my bike tool kit, which now has a
Bic Clic pen in it for good luck.

EZ SPLICE-IN PIGGY BACK METHODClick
here for scrollable printable pic.
I don't like Scotch locks for wire
splice in. They are bulky, often loosen over time and
corrode. Soldering is best, but that is sometimes very difficult if not impossible. I often use the "tuck and roll" method which works
good on single bullet connectors, but that's sometimes not practical
with these tight mini connectors. Using a leg from a diode or resistor,
one can make a "probe" that will slip into a connector from behind on
the plug as shown. Grab a proper size gauge toss away diode and cut off
the legs and discard the diode. Solder your lead onto one end leaving
about 1/2" of a leg free. Put on some heat shrink and lube it good with
bulb grease and insert tightly into the
back of the plug so that it makes good contact with the
connector of the needed wire. Zip tie or tape it to the
existing wire and zip tie to the harness too for good
strain relief. This way, if you ever need to disconnect
that which you have connected, simply cut the zip ties
and "unplug" your piggy back EZ Splice. Works
great and it's easy. One helpful thing here is to use a
"Helping
Hand" soldering stand available at Radio Shack
to help make a neat solder of the wire to the leg. There are commercial versions of this here: *click me*

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The information on these pages is
accurate to the best of the author's knowledge. The
author can assume no responsibility for the use or misuse
of this information by the reader. The reader is expected
to secure any other information needed from Service
Manuals or other sources. It is up to the reader to
determine his/her ability to make any modifications
noted. If the reader does not feel qualified he/she
should enlist professional help.